Despite the unending global advocacy for sustainable forest management and a greener planet, Nigeria still lacks adequate hands to tackle the contemporary conservation problems, and there exists palpable lack of interest in studying Forestry and Wildlife Management among the Nigerian youths; a trend that is quite inimical to our collective desire to achieve sustainable development and bequeath a habitable planet to posterity.The book was written out of a dire need to arouse interest in Forestry and Wildlife Management among the Nigerian youths in general and students in particular. It is loaded with vital information on career opportunities in forestry and wildlife management. It also provides a perfect and complete answer to a question frequently asked by the Forestry and Wildlife Student: “What can I become with Forestry and Wildlife Management?” by providing a compendium of Nigerians who have excelled in different areas of endeavour, with the course. The Appendix provides a list of over 100 forestry- and wildlife-related websites.
DEPARTMENT FORESTRY AND WIDELIFE MANAGEMENT
ReplyDeleteFACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
NAME SELYNA YUDES
MAT NO: U2012/5020005
COURSE CODE: AGR 201.1
COURSE TITLE: GENERAL AGRICULTURE
What is Monocropping
Many farmers plant only one crop in the same place year after year. This is what is known as monoculture crops. Supporters claim it is a more profitable way to farm than switching crops around each year. When a farmer grows only one type of crop he can specialize in that crop and purchase only the tools and machinery needed to deal with that crop. However, those against monocropping claim that it is very hard on the environment and actually less profitable than organic means of farming
Methods
Various participatory research methods were used in this investigation including on-farm trials, farm and market surveys, multiple farm visits and focused group discussions. On-farm trials were conducted from September 1997 to January 2001 to assess the growth and economic performance of two popular fast-growing timber species, Gmelina arborea (gmelina) and Eucalyptus deglupta (bagras), in association with maize.
Falling Back On Fertilizers
Along with the aforementioned reliance on pesticides when growing monocultures, farmers are increasingly dependent on fertilizers to maintain crop yields. This is because when land is use for continuous, intensive farming of a single crop, it takes its toll on the soil at a much faster rate than traditional fallow field farming and crop rotation which allow the earth to recover. According to farming researcher John Jeavons, monocropping depletes the nutrients in soil 18 times faster than they can be replaced by natural fertilizers. A massive amount chemical fertilizer is thus needed to sustain this practice and lots of water is also required with around 70% of all human water usage attributed to agriculture.
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Other Reasons Monocropping Is Problematic
• Monoculture farming is so prevalent that in many cases the desire to grow one of a handful of crops precedes the suitability of the local conditions to grow said crop. The demand for grains such as wheat, rice and maize means that they are obvious choices for farmers. The lack of other huge, liquid marketplaces means that growing alternative crops is a risky business because, as a farmer, you can’t be certain whether anyone will buy it when you have grown it.
And so, where the local soil is not entirely suited to grow these in demand crops, more fertilizer is required to generate sufficient yields.
• Monocropping can of course pose risks in of itself. The lack of biodiversity across farmland can lead to greater risk of epidemic since the close proximity of plants and the size of plantations encourages diseases to spread quickly.
• Monocropping is a case of putting all your eggs in one basket and this doesn’t only apply to farmers but to entire industries. In 2010, the droughts and rice eating pests in Vietnam lowered production greatly; rice exports fell by 24.9% in January and February and in a country where agriculture provides employment for 23 million people (and over 21% of GDP) this led to very difficult times for many.
• Focusing on just a handful of crops not only puts a country’s export market at risk as in the
Stop The Monocrops?
The subject of monocropping has very few environmental positives to highlight but in reality it is the most efficient way right now to cope with world demand for food. There are projections that suggest this demand could double by 2050 and at this point so I don’t expect farms to suddenly shrink down again or to stop using fertilizers and pesticides.